YOUR HEALTH: Stimulate your depression
Treatments include counseling, medications, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS, to stimulate the mood-regulating parts of the brain.
"Not all patients respond to the medication or to the neuromodulation," explained Dr. Francisco Romo-Nava, a physician scientist at the University of Cincinnati's Lindner Center of HOPE.
Dr. Romo-Nava and his colleagues are studying a new way to treat mental health disorders.
The neuroscientists are testing a device that delivers stimulation to a patient's spine.
Dr. Romo-Nava says the stimulation will improve the feedback in the central nervous system that is sometimes disrupted when a person has a psychiatric disorder.
For now, patients undergo spinal stimulation for 20 minutes, three times a week, for eight weeks.
"The kind of stimulation that we use is very well tolerated," he explained.
"The most frequent description is like a tingling sensation
Researchers say this stimulation therapy could be the first step to developing better treatment for some patients.
Dr. Romo-Nava was granted a patent for the stimulation method that utilizes transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
He says his research team is trying to determine how often, and how long, patients should undergo the stimulation for the best results.
Between 80% and 90% of people with depression respond well to treatment, and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.
A new form of magnetic brain stimulation relieved symptoms of severe depression in 90% of participants in a study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The researchers are conducting a larger, double-blinded trial in which half the participants are receiving fake treatment and are optimistic it will prove to be similarly effective in treating people whose condition hasn't improved with medication, talk therapy, or other forms of electromagnetic stimulation.
Don't Hide Behind Your Depression; Take It By The Horns
Depression treatment can be very intimidating to someone who suffers from it or to somebody trying to help a sufferer. It can easily lead to a bit of information overload because of all of the resources available. Below are some tips to assist you in getting all of this information organized to where everyone can start feeling better.
A great tip that can help you battle depression is to make sure you're getting enough sleep everyday. It's important that we get enough sleep because it helps our bodies function. If we don't get enough sleep, we can get tired and that can lead to feeling depressed.
If your income is low and you are suffering from depression, try and find free or low-cost social services that can help you. Local governments offer community counseling services to those with low incomes, especially those people who qualify for Medicaid. These community counseling centers can also provide free samples of medication for those who can't afford to fill a prescription.
Writing in your journal every day can be a very good way to begin getting a handle on your depression. Write out your thoughts at the beginning and end of each day. When you do this, you are enlisting the help of your subconscious mind to sort out your worries and problems while you sleep.
If you are feeling depressed, there is no better way to combat those thoughts than to dance. This will get your body moving and get the blood flowing through your body and to your brain. Although when depressed exercise is not appealing, get up and force yourself to dance. Play happy uplifting music and stretch those muscle and move. Your body, soul, and mind will be happier for it.
Make sure you're getting about eight hours of sleep a night. People with depression tend to either sleep too little or far too much. In either case, both your mood and your health will suffer. Schedule your sleep patterns so that you're getting just the right amount of sleep each night.
To help you conquer your depression it is vital that you learn to develop a positive attitude and change the way you think. Research has shown that negative thinking plays a huge role in depression. Depressed people minimize their successes and accomplishments and, instead, focus on their failures and sorrows. The key to happiness is loving life in the face of suffering.
Writing in your journal every day can be a very good way to begin getting a handle on your depression. Write out your thoughts at the beginning and end of each day. When you do this, you are enlisting the help of your subconscious mind to sort out your worries and problems while you sleep.
Getting enough sleep - and the right kind of sleep - should be a critical focus for someone trying to overcome depression. Estimates are that more than 80% of people with depression have trouble getting enough sleep. Often, insomnia or a sleep disorder can be the culprit behind the onset of depression if a patient is not getting the restorative stages of deep sleep needed to feel refreshed and energized. Practicing good sleep hygiene can help to turn around many sleep issues, including going to bed at a set time, avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the evenings, and removing the television and other distractions from the bedroom. But when self-help methods don't resolve long term sleep issues, then seek help from a sleep expert or sleep clinic.
If you think that you have symptoms of depression, see check here your physician to obtain a correct diagnosis and treatment. Sometimes it is difficult for the average person to tell if the symptoms he or she notices are normal sadness or something more severe. A medical professional can make a diagnosis and help you return to normal.
Acknowledging to yourself that your depression needs to be managed is a positive step. To avoid the temptation of sleeping in late or staying in bed throughout the day, purposely schedule appointments before noon to get you up and ready for the day. Always try to schedule your appointments early. Waiting until you wake up to decide your schedule, may put you at a disadvantage to taking charge of how you spend your day and you may be tempted to remain in bed because of the depression.
While it may seem impossible to express your feelings to someone when you are depressed, you could find that crying on someone's shoulder or explaining your feelings, is the best remedy. When people listen to you, you are able to get your feelings hashed out without having to feel alone. Depression is a condition that is best met with support and company. Being alone only makes it worse.
When you depression is getting the best of you, think of how much worse it can be. There are people in the world who are homeless or without food. Thinking of how worse your situation can be will make you grateful for what you have, thus reducing your depression symptoms.
Remember that one of the key things about getting out of being depressed is that you have to stay positive. You not only have to stay positive but you have to try new methods of trying your best to better your life. The tips you just learned are great places to start getting your life positive and back on track, so start today and be hopeful. The only way out of this is to apply yourself -- remember that.